On Dec. 28, 1895, in the basement of a Paris café, 33 people witnessed moving photographs projected onto a screen — the birth of cinema as we know it. Exactly 129 years after this legendary event, The Sprocket Society presented a very special program celebrating the origins and earliest evolution of motion pictures from 1894-1901.

In the style of the time, Spencer Sundell gave live narration and an illuminated lecture, providing fascinating history and anecdotes about these remarkable films and their creators.

Selections included Edison Kinetoscopes, Lumière actualities, early films by Georges Méliès, loops by Max Skladanowsky, and more. As befitting the occasion, all were screened from rare 16mm film prints.

Travel back in time to the 19th century. Walk the streets of Paris, New York, and even Gold Rush-era Seattle. Witness historic events and simple moments of ordinary life. Examples of pre-cinema and the earliest movie storytelling will also be shown.